


a kiss and a smile

by onlyeverthus



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:59:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6173791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyeverthus/pseuds/onlyeverthus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose and Jack catch up in a brief moment of rest inside the TARDIS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a kiss and a smile

**Author's Note:**

> Written ages ago because I was frustrated that Rose and Jack barely interacted in Journey's End.

The TARDIS hung in space, above the Earth, still spinning gently.

Inside, she was filled with the sounds of more people than she'd had in a good while.

Rose sat perched on a railing, away from the group, watching as her mother and Sarah Jane chatted in that familiar way that mothers do. Donna, Mickey, and Martha laughed as they remembered past adventures. And the two Doctors talked together quietly, away from everyone else.

Rose leaned her head against the TARDIS support, smiling slightly.

"Penny for 'em."

Rose looked over and smiled at Jack, standing behind her.

"Don't have any. Just watching."

Jack leaned forward, his arms on the railing. "One helluva ride."

Rose nodded her agreement and then looked at Jack again.

"What happened on the ship?" she asked.

Jack laughed. "You're gonna have to narrow it down a little."

Rose nudged him with her arm. "You know what I mean. You were shot. You were _dead_."

Jack stared at her a moment, a bemused grin on his face.

"You don't know?" he finally said.

"Know what?"

Jack took a breath, glancing over at the Doctors.

"The Doctor told me that back at the Game Station, after he'd sent you home, you came back, and you had absorbed the Time Vortex. You used it to destroy the Daleks and to bring me back to life, but he said... he said you couldn't control it, it was like you couldn't finish it."

Rose stared at Jack, stunned. "I don't remember any of that..."

"You made me immortal, Rose," Jack said softly.

"I didn't know."

"I had kinda hoped maybe you could fix it somehow, but I guess not."

"Why do you wanna change it?"

"You have to know how hard it is," Jack said, looking surprised. "You and I both spent time with the Doctor, you know how hard it is for him, and he's been at it much longer than I have."

Rose frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"I tried to use my vortex manipulator to find you, but when I left the Game Station, I ended up in Cardiff in 1869. The manipulator had burnt out, and so I was left there. And I waited for the Doctor to come back. Ended up working for Torchwood." Jack looked down at his hands, then up at Rose. "Over a hundred years. I lost members of my crew, my friends, people I loved. And I just continued on, barely aging, never dying." He sighed and looked across at the Doctors, one in brown, one in blue. "But that's just a hundred odd years. Imagine nine hundred plus."

Rose gazed pensively down at Jack and then touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Jack. If I could... take it back or reverse it, I would."

Jack smiled up at her. "I know."

They were silent a moment and then Jack turned, leaning backwards on the railing now, looking up at Rose.

"You remember everything we did?" he asked.

Rose laughed. "Of course I do. I couldn't forget you."

"Remember the Myrna system?" Jack grinned, and Rose giggled, nodding.

"Hopping for our lives! That was mad."

Jack moved closer, looking sly. "All those stolen snogs."

Rose looked down at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Feels like a million years ago."

"I know I wasn't ever really anything to you, but it was nice... spending time with you."

"Oh, Jack, stop that talk, that's not like you."

Jack smirked, nodding. "True. Still stands though, you and I were nice together."

Rose smiled. "We were. Even if it was just us getting from each other what we couldn't get from him."

They both looked up at the Doctor, a different face now from the one in their shared memories, but always the same man.

"Did you ever miss me?" Jack asked.

Rose nodded. "I did. I missed our talks, our jokes, and yes, the sex," she added in response to Jack's arched eyebrow. She smacked his shoulder and he laughed.

"What do you think you'll do now?" Jack asked after a moment. Rose shrugged.

"Dunno. I came looking for him and I'd been hoping to stay, and now there's two of him."

"Twice the fun," Jack said and Rose laughed.

"What about you?" Rose asked.

"I've got my team. Gwen and Ianto. They need me. I need them."

"Are you happy, Jack?"

Jack considered a moment, staring into space before looking back up at Rose.

"I am. As happy as I can get, anyway." He smiled a little ruefully. "What about you?"

Rose looked away, frowning slightly, and Jack nodded without speaking.

Rose sighed and looked at Jack again. She smiled softly and reached over, running her fingers through his hair and placing her palm on his cheek.

"It was so good to see you again, Jack. I have missed you."

Jack smiled as well, pushing Rose's hair behind her ear and matching her gesture, lightly stroking her skin with his thumb.

"Same to you."

Rose leaned down and kissed Jack, lightly, unassuming. They smiled at each other and separated, moving now to the console as the Doctor called for everyone to help bring the TARDIS down to Earth.

It occurred to them both as they were handling their individual areas of the console that their last time together had also ended with a kiss, and they smiled again at each other around the console as the TARDIS landed.

The Doctor stepped outside and Jack followed shortly after, glancing back to give Rose just one more smile before he ducked out the TARDIS doors.

A kiss and a smile. It was all that was ever needed.


End file.
